This is such a beautiful, pristine, and peaceful place. I didn't know it existed until a facebook…read morefriend posted photos from his walk, and I thought, I have to go to this place. The parking area I found is small, but directly across the street from the entrance. You walk a paved trail though many acres of wildflowers and some trees, until you come to a staircase that leads down to the lakeside itself. When I was there, midday on a beautiful September day, there were some men exercising on the staircase -- running up and down, dropping to do push ups, and more. I assume they were from the nearby army base. The staircase that goes to the lake has two landings with a bench, so you can sit and enjoy the view, or rest and gasp for breath on your way back up. It leads directly to a paved path at the lake shore. There was a bench facing east, and I sat and just absorbed the peace and quiet, and the soothing sound of the wind-driven waves rolling up the narrow sandy beach. There were some school children nearby eating lunch with their teachers, but no one else was around. The path leads only a short way to the south, but to the north, it branches back into the woods. I confess I did not follow it but, instead, returned to the lake shore and just soaked up the atmosphere. This truly was a magical spot. I look forward to returning another time and exploring a bit more. But even if I don't venture too far from my vantage point, it will still be wonderful. What a wonderful place.

Can you believe it's December and it's so beautiful? A lovely day to walk the paths at Openlands…read moreand/or walk down by the lake. People, dogs, families walking, jogging, strolling and taking in the view.

Has a quick wooden area (portage trail) loop walk with shade. A one-eyed red tailed hawk, another…read morehawk, an owl and a coyote are viewed in a cage enclosure. The visitor center is clean nicely maintained and has more live critters, reptiles and amphibians on glass enclosures. I imagine kids would enjoy seeing the animals. Medium parking and best of all, it's free. Donations accepted.

I recently took a hike in this area and passed by this Nature Center several times during the hike…read moreand decided to stop in. I was pleasantly surprised at how many different things there were to do here, but indoors and outdoors. Outdoors I was able to see a variety of animals including a coyote, owl, hawk, eagle, kestrel, and fox. Though they were caged, I got to see them fairly up close and hear the different sounds that they make. Indoors, there were various interactive exhibits as well as live turtles and various educational displays. Overall this is definitely worth a visit if you're hiking in the area and want to see a nicely maintained and educational display that helps to explain some of the wildlife nearby.

How can you not love Lake Arlington?! The lake is beautiful,…read morethe treats at the Boat House are great, and the vibe is perfect. 10/10

Lake Arlington is a man made lake in Arlington Heights. There are many things to do there. There is…read morea walking path around the lake. The park also features a playground and exercise equipment. Lake Arlington is a great place to fish, kayak, and boat in the water. In the community center building, you can buy snacks and drinks as well as rent equipment to use on the lake. Lake Arlington is a great place for year-round fun!

It was a breath of fresh air the morning I decided to finally venture up to Skokie Lagoons to run…read more It was only a matter of time that I would visit after having passed through it via the North Branch Trail System while training for the Chicago Marathon some time ago. My visit to the actual site came after having the desire of running somewhere different, as well as having no interest in running the ever so congested Chicago Lakefront Trail. At the time, it was marathon training season with many runners out training for their fall and winter marathons. And not to mention other individuals out on the Lakefront Trail whether it be biking, walking, skating, or even at the beaches which I just did not have the tolerance for at the time. My GPS took me to what is labeled as Forest Way Picnic Grove #1 where I ended up parking. However, if you want to start your activity at the mile marker starting point, I recommend parking where the Chicago River Canoe and Kayak shed is located which is 1770 Tower Rd. Parking there will put you right at the 0/4.4-mile marker on the path. If not, Skokie Lagoons has several places to park your vehicle which are mostly along Forestway Dr. Prior to starting my run, I could not resist taking in the beauty of the lagoon which made me think to myself why did it take me so long to visit. As a fitness enthusiast that has been running for years, I would categorize the difficulty level of Skokie Lagoons as moderate because the terrain is not entirely flat; there are rolling hills in between miles 1-3, but nothing excruciating. And there are distance markings along the pavement of this loop style paved path totaling 4.4 miles per loop. Well into the path, I felt that sense of being in nature as I made my way around the loop. I also felt that feeling of being secluded on parts of the path, but there were always encounters with bikers at some point that kept me in the moment as well as the sounds of vehicles on the nearby roads. As mentioned, I encountered bikers mostly, but I did see walkers and runners occasionally along the path. And throughout my entire time on the path, I encountered two deer which crossed my path as they headed towards the lagoon. I spent a little over 3 hours on the path but could have easily gone longer if I wanted to. Like the start of my run, I took in the beauty of the lagoon again which looked so gorgeous with the sun beaming down on it, giving it that lustrous look. And I overheard the screeching sound of a bald eagle as I stretched and massaged my leg muscles off to the side of the path. There are a variety of activities you can conduct within Skokie Lagoons; some of those activities I saw or can certainly see are fishing, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, hiking, running, walking, biking, and even inline skating. And along the path, there are waste and recycling bins, even benches throughout. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience at Skokie Lagoons, as indicated in this review. As a runner, I can see myself returning just to conduct interval runs around its loop in build-up to long run events I participate in. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G

Having lived in Chicago and visited Skokie Lagoons many times before, I can't believe I never left…read morea review! Recently visiting friends in Evanston and needing a place to hike on a 70-80 degree day on my way back to Milwaukee, SL was a no-brainer! Skokie Lagoons has: - Great paved biking trails - Public kayak/canoe launch - Kayak/canoe rental - Good fishing! (Caught a NICE largemouth bass here once) - Lagoons, swamps, and more! - Paved trails that lead into Chicago Botanic Gardens I was hiking on the paved bike trail, which frankly, they're pretty long trails! Better for running, biking, and watersports IMHO. I can't believe people drop less than a 5-star review for this place!

I've seen so many deer in these woods. The last time I walked here, I passed by five of them. I…read moreusually see at least one. And once I even spotted a doe with her two fawns out grazing. (Please don't feed the deer, as the signs say, because you could inadvertently give them something that harms their system.) The bicyclists can be a real hazard here, so keep your eyes peeled for them, too, if you're walking or running. There's really only one trail at this forest preserve, with the exception of a few short paths off to the side here and there that lead nowhere. But it's got charming views of forest, river and a patch of prairie at the edge of the preserve near Waukegan. There's ample parking and a shelter with picnic tables by the parking lot. The deer will sometimes graze right alongside the parking lot - they're pretty habituated - so if you're lucky, you may spot one before you even make it into the woods.

Walk here on a weekly basis in the spring, summer & fall months. Miami Woods is a lovely slice of…read morenature. The trees illustrate beauty and quiet. I enjoy my walks.

This is a relatively peaceful place for hiking and biking. But it's a little hilly for an Illinois…read moreforest preserve, so wear appropriate footwear (I learned that the hard way). I've seen people getting professional photos taken with these woods as a backdrop, and it's a good setting for that. There's an expanse of grass between the woods and the parking lot where you can sit, have a picnic, whatever. The paved trail runs up the hill and onto the bridge over Lake St. to the north or towards Old Orchard to the south. As you move south, the forest preserves get a bit busy, so I prefer to head north from here. Just to the west of the main trail, there's a gravel path that tacks off to one side and is a little quieter, if that's what you're looking for. You won't lose sight of civilization completely, but you'll get a breather from the steady flow of bike traffic on the main trail that way.

07/03/20 - Yet another part of the extensive trails that make up part of the vast Forest Preserve…read moreNorth Branch trails. These start East of me by the Chicago Park district on Foster Ave & go West through Labaugh Woods off of Cicero Ave (5 houses East of me) through Forest Glen Woods (2 Blocks west of me) the turns north all the way to the Chicago Botanical Gardens. These trails are awesome as they provide people a little respite from urban life literally right in their backyards. People especially now that the weather is warmer come out for walks, running, roller blading & biking along the trails. My sister and I are both on a mission to not only get exercise, but see our own natural beauty our forest preserves provide & at the same time shed some pounds. The amount we have been walking you see all sorts of wild life, everything from deer, Blue herons, snapping turtles, chipmunks scouting around, squirrels, raccoons, hawks, redwing blackbirds, cardinals (no Cubs though bummer), blue jays even a fox. Today we walked from the Blue Star Memorial Woods to the south end of The Skokie Lagoon & back about 6.3 miles.

These woods are absolutely stunning!! Even after getting 4 miles in, there are still plenty more…read moretrails to walk. I love the feeling of being secluded from the world after a super long, and overstimulating work week, and these are some of my favorite trails to walk alone with my dog, or with a group. I have been visiting these woods for the last 5 years, and they never get old. Port-a-potties at the entrance, and plenty of parking.

Don't bring your dog here. Whoever put it on a list of top 10 places to walk your dog, is…read moredelusional in the worst way. The plants are 90% poison ivy EVERYWHERE. There are also lots of foxtails. I can see how it would be nice for a bike ride, but not everyone is obsessed with plant ID apps, and it was not relaxing restraining a 70 lb dog from sniffing all the poison ivy. I got a poison ivy spot on my hand in the first 5 mins. Even if you stay only on the gravel, there are 5 million mosquitoes. Beautiful location but not relaxing at all! Some people running are extremely rude/ignorant and expect you to jump into poison ivy to make way for them when there is enough room for them to pass you anyway. Bad vibe. Not what I came to nature to find.

I've been coming to Gillson Park since I was a kid, and it's been great to see it evolve and get…read morebetter over the years. The Lake Michigan views, beach, and open spaces make it a great place to spend the day, and the lake is a great temperature for swimming toward the end of summer. On this visit, I saw these two dogs wearing sunglasses and had to get a picture!

I love this beach so much! It's beautiful and clean, but just recently, they fenced up a few parts…read moreof the beach and now require payment for residents and non-residents AND when you leave one part of the paid beach to move to another part, you have to pay again! Which is absurd. I was also thinking about renting out a shelter for a party, but the park doesn't allow you to bring your own grill, doesn't allow alcohol, only provides you with two tables, and you have to still pay for parking and access to the beach. It all just seems like a money grab, which sucks because the beach was free to the public for so long! I know a lot of people are upset about the new rules. Aside from that, there is a park, tennis courts, and Fat Shallot, where they serve food and drinks. There is also a patio area to eat and drink, and outdoor showers. PARK ON MICHIGAN AVE and just walk down to avoid some fees!